The Kuwait Portal

Kuwait, officially theState of Kuwait, is a country inWest Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of theArabian Peninsula at the head of thePersian Gulf, borderingIraq tothe north andSaudi Arabia tothe south. With a coastline of approximately 500 km (311 mi), Kuwait also shares amaritime border withIran, across the Persian Gulf. Kuwait is acity-state, most of the country's population reside in theurban agglomeration ofKuwait City, the capital and largest city. As of 2024^[update], Kuwait has a population of 4.82 million, of which 1.53 million areKuwaiti citizens while the remaining 3.29 million areforeign nationals from over 100 countries. In 2019, Kuwait had the world's thirdlargest number of foreign nationals as a percentage of the population, where its citizens make up less than 30% of the overall population.

The territory of modern-day Kuwait has been occupied by humans since antiquity, particularly due to its strategic location at the head of the Persian Gulf near the mouth of theTigris and Euphrates rivers. In the early 18th century, the territory of modern-day Kuwait was under the jurisdiction of theBani Khalid clan; then the territory became known as theSheikdom of Kuwait and aBritishprotectorate in 1899. Prior to thediscovery of oil reserves in 1938, the territory of modern-day Kuwait contained a regional trade port. The protectorate agreements with the United Kingdom ended in June 1961 when Kuwait officially became an independent state.

From 1946 to 1982, Kuwait underwent large-scale modernization, largely based on income fromoil production. In the 1980s, Kuwait experienced a period of geopolitical instability and an economic crisis following thestock market crash. It suffered pro-Iranian attacks during theIran–Iraq War, as a result of Kuwait's financial support to Iraq. In 1990, the state of Kuwait wasinvaded, had apuppet regime installed, and was subsequently annexed byBa'athist Iraq under the leadership ofSaddam Hussein following disputes over oil production. TheIraqi occupation of Kuwait ended on 26 February 1991, after a U.S. and Saudi Arabia–ledinternational coalition expelled Iraqi forces from the country during theGulf War. (Full article...)

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